LAHORE/KARACHI/PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demonstrations marking three years since the imprisonment of party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan turned violent in Karachi and Lahore on Wednesday, with police arresting several party leaders, lawmakers, workers and supporters, while journalists also reported being caught up in the crackdown.
Also, the PTI Wednesday announced that it would march towards Islamabad on Sept 27 as part of a fresh mobilisation for the release of its incarcerated founder Imran Khan, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi telling thousands of supporters gathered in Peshawar to prepare for what the party described as the next phase of its political movement.
In Karachi, clashes broke out near Fawara Chowk on Abdullah Haroon Road. Police used batons and fired tear gas to disperse protesters, while demonstrators allegedly responded by pelting officers with stones.
Among those arrested were PTI Sindh General Secretary Dr Masroor Sial and several other party leaders and supporters. PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh condemned the arrests, alleging that the police action was an attack on democratic values.
The confrontation triggered severe traffic congestion around Governor’s House, Metropole Hotel and Shaheen Complex, causing major disruption for commuters. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the traffic gridlock and directed the inspector general of police and the additional inspector general to restore traffic flow immediately.
In Lahore, police also dispersed PTI supporters and lawyers through baton charge and made multiple arrests. Among those detained were PTI-backed National Assembly member Mobeen Arif Jutt and party leader Awais Umar Virk.
The Lahore demonstration drew a larger turnout of lawyers than party workers to express solidarity with the jailed former premier.
During the police action, a local TV journalist, Natiq Rehan, was also detained and allegedly assaulted. The Punjab Assembly Parliamentary Reporters Press Gallery strongly condemned the journalist’s arrest and the alleged baton charge, describing the incident as a serious attack on press freedom.
The Press Gallery demanded a transparent inquiry and strict action against the officials involved. “Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of every democratic society, and targeting journalists is completely unacceptable,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the announcement about the march on Islamabad on Sept 27 came at a public gathering, with party Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan saying the Peshawar gathering could be the party’s last major rally before it moved from public meetings to what he called a concrete “course of action” for the former prime minister’s release.
“We will head towards Islamabad on September 27,” Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced while addressing the gathering, setting out demands that included what the party termed fair adjudication of the cases against Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi and removal of restrictions on the former premier’s meetings with his family, lawyers, personal physicians and political associates.
The rally brought together PTI workers and supporters from different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with lawmakers leading caravans from their respective constituencies to Peshawar. Barrister Gohar, Sohail Afridi, PTI KP President Junaid Khan, Atif Khan and other senior party leaders attended the gathering.
A notable feature of the event was that a large number of PTI lawmakers and leaders were seated among the workers instead of occupying the main stage. Only a limited number of senior leaders, including Sohail Afridi, Junaid Khan, Barrister Gohar
During the gathering, alongside the chants and party flags, placards carried by a number of supporters reflected growing pressure from within PTI’s own ranks for the leadership to move beyond speeches and announce a definitive strategy.
Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi said the demonstrations and activities organised by PTI workers in different parts of the country showed, in his view, that Imran Khan remained Pakistan’s most popular political leader and that PTI continued to command significant public support.
Referring to the three years since Imran Khan’s imprisonment, the chief minister said the former prime minister had endured incarceration for the sake of his supporters, the country and future generations.
He also referred to Bushra Bibi’s incarceration and restrictions on meetings between Imran Khan and his family and political and legal associates, arguing that the PTI founder was being denied rights that should be available to a prisoner under the law.
Sohail Afridi said PTI had exhausted constitutional, legal and democratic options but had failed to secure what the party considered justice for its founder. The chief minister said PTI’s first demand was that the cases against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi be heard and decided fairly and in accordance with the law. Its second demand, he said, was the lifting of restrictions on Imran Khan’s meetings with his legal counsel, personal doctors, family members and political associates.
“These are neither unconstitutional nor illegal demands,” he told supporters, while announcing September 27 as the date for the party’s Islamabad mobilisation. Sohail Afridi claimed that economic conditions had deteriorated since the change of government and contrasted the present situation with what he described as economic growth during PTI’s tenure. The chief minister also devoted a significant portion of his address to the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, referring to violence in Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Swat, Dir and other areas.
Sohail Afridi told supporters that he would lead the party’s forthcoming movement, and particularly appealed to young people to prepare for the September mobilisation.
Turning to the media and judiciary, the chief minister alleged that journalists and judges had faced pressure and restrictions. He urged PTI supporters to use social media and other platforms to raise their voice for what he termed constitutional rights and justice.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, meanwhile, said the party leadership had heard the frustration of its workers and that the time had come to move beyond conventional public meetings.
He said the Peshawar gathering was perhaps PTI’s 10th major rally since the general elections and could be its last of this nature.
“This may be our last rally. After this, we will not hold big rallies; we will give a course of action,” Gohar told supporters, adding that the movement would, according to him, culminate in Imran Khan’s release. Gohar said PTI had spent the past three years pursuing relief through what he described as every available constitutional, judicial and political forum. Despite those efforts, he claimed, the party had failed to receive the relief it sought.
The PTI chairman also complained about restrictions on access to Imran Khan, saying the party leadership, family and doctors had faced difficulties in meeting him. Gohar said PTI had supported Pakistan and the state whenever national interests required political unity but complained that the party had not received similar treatment in return. He said the party had repeatedly sought political dialogue, including through committees constituted for negotiations, but maintained that the process had failed to produce substantive progress.
He told workers that once the party announced its new strategy, there would not be another gathering merely to announce another plan. “PTI will have one course of action, and it will be announced today,” he said.
PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Khan said the party leadership recognised workers’ demands for a stronger strategy for Imran Khan’s release. Junaid claimed that the party’s attempts at restraint and dialogue had been interpreted as weakness. Referring to PTI’s previous protest movements, including those in September and November, Junaid acknowledged that mistakes had been made and said the party intended to learn from them.
This time, he said, responsibilities would be clearly divided among party leaders and office-bearers and everyone assigned a task would be expected to fulfil it. The provincial PTI president condemned the violence in Kashmir and expressed support for what he described as the legitimate demands of the Kashmiri people. He also referred to unrest and grievances in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, urging the state to review policies which, according to him, were increasing alienation.
Referring to the security situation in Swat and elsewhere in the province, Junaid argued that peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been better during Imran Khan’s tenure and described the former prime minister as essential to political stability.
As the rally drew to a close, Sohail Afridi asked supporters several times whether they were prepared for the next phase of the movement. He told supporters to remember September 27 and said those wishing to participate should make their preparations before September 20. The PTI also held a demonstration in the federal capital. The protest was led by PTI Islamabad Region President Aamir Mughal and Regional General Secretary Malik Amir Ali Awan. According to the party, hundreds of male and female workers and office-bearers from Islamabad’s three districts, eight towns and various union councils participated in the demonstration.
Addressing the gathering, Aamir Mughal alleged that Imran Khan had been “forcibly abducted” and was being denied rights available to prisoners under the law. He claimed that nationwide protests reflected public concern over Khan’s incarceration. He described Khan as the only leader capable of uniting people across Pakistan and steering the country out of its current challenges. The protesters chanted slogans in support of Imran Khan and demanded that he be provided all facilities guaranteed under the Constitution and the law. Speaking on the occasion, Regional General Secretary Malik Amir Ali Awan said the country’s stability and progress depended on Khan’s release and leadership.
Participants also carried placards bearing slogans against alleged human rights violations in Kashmir, as well as inflation, unemployment, unrest and terrorism.
Separately, Aleema Khan, sister of the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), warned that the country could face “grave and dangerous consequences” if angry citizens took to the streets without political leadership.
Speaking to reporters at the Gorakhpur Factory checkpoint in Rawalpindi, Aleema claimed that people in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab were prepared to launch protests, adding that if they came out on their own, they would “take matters into their own hands.” “The people are extremely angry. If they come out onto the streets this time without political leadership, the consequences will be very grave and dangerous,” she said.
Aleema Khan urged political parties to take the lead in addressing the prevailing situation, arguing that the movement should be led by the PTI founder. “It is essential that political parties lead this entire process.
At this point, the PTI founder himself should lead this political movement,” she said. Responding to a question about PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan’s reported call for the prime minister to seek a vote of confidence, Aleema Khan declined to comment, saying she was unaware of the matter.
“I do not want to comment on that because I have no knowledge of it,” she said. She added that her remarks were limited to highlighting the circumstances and developments she believed were unfolding in the country.
